


Somewhere To Rest My Head

by ExtremeEvil95



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: A little different than canon, M/M, Past Gil/Ryder, Past Peebee/Ryder, Peebee and Quintin are ride or dies that's official, Plenty of banter to go around though, Pretty harmless, Reyes and Q are soft boyfriends tbh, fluff??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 15:10:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10596582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtremeEvil95/pseuds/ExtremeEvil95
Summary: The crew is about to embark on their journey to get into Meridian. There's a lot at stake and Quintin faces yet another night of lacking sleep, so he tries to keep his head above the surface with the help of great friends and Reyes. ln the end, it's always Reyes.Contains spoilers up until the part when Ryder goes to Meridian, so beware if you haven't gotten there yet!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again everyone! I'm still baffled over the response to my last story about Quintin, so when I embarked upon the final stage of the game yesterday, the lack of Reyes made me want to write and change the canon a bit? So this happened, and I think it turned out pretty okay so I hope you guys enjoy it too!
> 
> I haven't finished the game yet so no spoilers about what happens on Meridian and afterwards in the comments please!!
> 
> It's unbeta'd and English isn't my first language but I'll check it for mistakes asap, so keep that in mind!
> 
> Please be nice, I'm still pretty new with posting things to this fandom and it's just as nerve-wrecking this time around, to be fair, but I really hope that guys enjoy this piece.
> 
> If you want to come scream at me about ME:A or to hear me talk about Quintin, aka light of my life, [here's a link to my tumblr.](http://gustavtomasbruce.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Anyways, do enjoy! xx
> 
> EDIT: I've now tried to fix all of the mistakes and perfected it, so once again, enjoy! x

With the Meridian on the horizon, Quintin felt very nervous. He hated not knowing what to expect, especially since he had so much to lose if this mission went wrong. Well, if this _did_ go wrong, the whole Initiative would lose _a lot,_ and probably lose the most important thing of all: their chance of really finding a home in this galaxy.

Quintin was one of the few, lucky ones that already had made a home for himself in this new world, at least if he said so himself. Now with Sarah being out of her coma and just knowing that his mum was still alive as well back at the Hyperion, this galaxy truly felt like it had something for him: a future. Maybe even a good one.

Everything just hanged on how well things would go down in a few hours. He’d already pulled Jaal and Peebee aside and told them to be ready to suit up at SAM’s signal. After all of the stuff they’ve been through, both the good times and the bad ones, he felt like they were the two people in the crew he could trust to have his back the most. 

Peebee accepted it without question with that smirking grin of hers and a challenge in her eyes. ”I would’ve joined you either way, Ryder, you won’t get away from me that easily. Ride or die, remember? You’re also welcome to join our party, Jaal, really.”

Jaal had put his hands on both of their shoulders, his gaze moving between them with such sincerity that only the anagaran could muster as he belted out a booming ”to embark upon this quest with my two best friends is a true honour. I won’t let either of you down.”

Quintin could’ve cried right there over his friends reactions. Their unbelievable faith in him and in what they could do together as a team sometimes took him off guard, it also showed just how far they’ve come from the start.

Vetra’s words about them all being one big, dysfunctional family couldn’t be more true. 

 

Quintin threw a glance back over at his bed with a soft smile playing on his lips.

For most of the time, the piece of furniture contained a mess of sheets and blankets, always lacking a body since Quintin hardly ever slept anymore. The nightmares kept him up, but tonight he was too wound up to get any sort of rest. Some nights were more crushing than others, this particular one was full of promises of a new day that surely would change all of their lives in one way or another. How could Quintin possibly be able to sleep when that was what he would wake up to?

This night, the bed wasn’t empty, despite the fact that the bed's owner stood a few meters away from it. The pathfinder let his clear, blue eyes trail over the sleeping form of a man he’d grown to care about a tremendous amount. Strains of hair stood out in every possible direction, dark as the roaming night outside the ship’s window, skin covered with birthmarks, scars and wounds, heavy eyelids with dark eyelashes resting against pink cheeks. 

How did you know that you truly loved someone? Quintin wasn’t sure if what he felt for the Charlatan could be considered to be love in it’s truest form, but he knew that it would break him to the very core if he would die during the upcoming mission and not see Reyes again. Whatever he felt towards the other man was real and valid, it was haunting and beautiful at the same time.

To be able to experience something like this after everything he’d been through to get here, truly was a blessing in itself. His mother’s words about wanting both of the twins to fall in love at least once in their lives rang clear as the day in his head as he watched Reyes shift on the bed. Maybe that was what he was doing? Really falling in love? So different from the physical bond he’d been sharing with Peebee and also the gentle flirting with Gil, because this sort of feeling knocked the air out of his lugns and brought a tingling sting to his fingertips whenever he let his mind linger longer than necessary on the mere thought of Reyes. 

The man whom wanted to _be someone._

To Quintin, Reyes already _was_ _someone_.

 

Quintin slowly made his way over to the bed, every step careful and gentle not to wake the other man. Reyes looked so peaceful when he was asleep, Quintin didn’t want to ruin that by making sounds like an idiot. He sank down to his knees by the bed, roaming in front of Reyes with a heart skipping beats in his chest.

The need to touch came naturally to the young Pathfinder. Being raised by a mother whom had the best hugs on Earth and a sister whom loved to pinch and poke at her slightly younger brother, he was used to share that kind of intimacy with others. This was different than that though, because every touch felt like it meant so much more. The world, at times.

Quintin let the tips of his fingers move over the curve of Reyes’ eyebrow, barely touching the warm skin. He followed the lines down to the cheek, over the tip of the nose and down just an inch to ghost over those lips before he stopped to gently cup his hand along the jaw. Every touch sent a soft, electric feeling through Ryder’s body, he could barely keep the pleased smile off his lips.

As he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Reyes’ forehead, fingers gently caressing through the mess of dark hair, he could’ve sworn that the smuggler whispered Quintin’s name in his sleep.

That was enough for anyone to want to fight for being alive one more day.

 

*~*

 

If there was something the Tempest lacked, it was _good_ food. Quintin stared into the cupboard, dreaming back to the Milky Way’s culinary treats such as fries and a nice, greasy pizza, knowing that life truly was unfair when he settled for some suspicious looking bag that at least smelled alright. They had picked up supplies all over the cluster, but nothing truly tasted as good as the food back on Earth. 

Quintin may miss a lot of things from his old life, but the food was the thing he really missed the most. He leaned his head against the cupboard, closing his eyes as he fought back a groan from leaving his lips at the mere thought of a pizza from his favourite pizza joint. From what he knew, it probably didn’t even exist anymore but still, a man could dream right?

”I take it that you couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

Quintin nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Peebee’s voice. The asari, almost as annoying as she was wonderful, laughed at his reaction and joined him by the counter, curiously eyeing what was floating around in the pot in front of the Pathfinder. Her eyebrow raised in a rather disbelieving way made Quintin wonder if he really made the right choice about anything in his life.

”I know, it looks a bit..grey, but-” Quintin began.

”You’re really going to eat _that?”_ Peebee interrupted, shoving her elbow against Quintin’s side. ”Hell, Ryder, could’ve taken an Architect straight on instead if you’re so keen on dying. That just looks _gnarly.”_

”It smelled okay before I got it out of the bag, it probably tastes better than it looks,” Quintin said, offended that Peebee had so little belief in his ability to pick out suitable food for himself. ”We have to take what we can get, it’s not like there’s people serving us pizza wherever we go, which is truly tragic to be fair.”

”Didn’t Reyes give you enough di-” Peebee smirked, but she didn’t get to finish the sentence before Quintin blurted out a loud, almost flustered ”fucking _hell_ , Peebee, don’t even go there,” which caused them both to laugh loudly. The Pathfinder buried his face in his hand and felt how tears stated to form in the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall, but it still didn’t make him stop laughing.

”Can’t a girl even ask a curious question around here anymore or? I need to make sure that you’re properly taken care of,” Peebee said, trying to compose herself but failing rather horribly.

”We’re not having this conversation right now,” Quintin stated. ”Not ever, really.”

”You’re no fun,” Peebee commented with a smirk. She gave Quintin’s back a light pat before she turned to leave the room, holding onto a can of something just as suspicious in her hands. ”I’ll let you get back to poisoning yourself, see you in a few, Ryder.”

Quintin didn’t turn to watch her leave, he just sighed and shook his head a bit as he focused on the grey affair that took place in the pot. He didn’t want to give Peebee the satisfaction of being right, but it didn’t look very eatable. Still, he needed to eat something so this was better than nothing, to be fair.

”Ran into Peebee, charming girl, that. Is she always so eager about.. well, everything?”

For the second time that night, Quintin felt his body jump in slight fear. Could people stop sneak up on him or was he just getting more deaf by the minute?

”She’s a real cracker, never a dull moment,” Quintin commented. He turned his head just slightly so he could look at the newcomer, a warmth spreading in his chest over how beautiful Reyes truly was. The other man was wearing nothing more but a simple shirt and underwear, looking all messy and rough from sleep. Never had the urge to kiss someone been so threatening. 

Reyes snorted softly. He walked across the small space that divided them, his presence being a welcoming addition against Quintin’s side. The Charlatan curled against him, his nose finding Quintin’s neck and causing the hair on the back of Quintin’s head to stand in mere delight. ”I’m beginning to wonder if you ever sleep? I close my eyes for a second and you’re never there when I wake up, why is that so?”

Quintin tried not to focus on how low and inviting that voice was. There were marks on Reyes’ throat still visibly in colour from earlier that night, he didn’t need to be tempted to create new ones. ”You know I do, I just wanted some food. Need all the energy I can get for the mission, so.”

”Not to be that guy, but that doesn’t look like food,” Reyes pointed out. Could Quintin’s friends just let him live with his choices for once?

”That’s exactly what Peebee said too, why can’t you two just let me eat my garbage in peace?” Quintin asked, trying his best not to laugh over his own words. He felt how Reyes laughed against his shoulder, the other man’s laugh causing the Pathfinder’s body to tremble gently. 

”Suit yourself, I just think it would be a shame if it poisoned you, that’s all,” Reyes said, sounding all innocent but that damn smirk on his lips made it rather hard for Quintin to believe that the man was being sincere about anything at this moment. ”You’re kind of a big deal, Pathfinder.”

Quintin just muttered under his breath while he poured the grey mess into a bowl, not really feeling that hungry because it surely looked awful, but he would still eat the whole thing out of pure spite. ”I’m a big deal when I’m with Liam and Jaal too and they never complain about my eating habits, maybe I should just choose my friends better.” He took a bite of the grey paste, raising his eyebrow in a rather challenging way towards the smuggler, whom curiously watched him swallow it.

”See? I survived,” Quintin stated dryly, before taking another bite. It didn’t taste that awful, it looked a lot worse than it actually was. ”This is actually okay, if I had some chipotle it would seriously taste good, even. Don’t look at me like that, I’m serious,” he noted when Reyes merely raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

”You’re one hell of a man sometimes, Q,” Reyes sighed softly.

”No need to be such a flatterer, Vidal, I’m just a man willing to take the risks no one else does,” Quintin pointed out, mouth full of food. 

Reyes just shook his head in disbelief. The smile was there though, and that was the thing that mattered.

 

*~*

 

”There’s so much that could go wrong tomorrow.”

Quintin stared up at the ceiling, a gentle frown draped over his face. He kept biting at his lip, almost puncturing the sensitive skin with his teeth. Why could their missions never be something easy? Why did they have to risk the future of all of the Milky Way species whenever they went somewhere?

Sometimes Quintin wished he had an easy job instead of this. Knowing what risks came with it was exciting to some degree, but after two deaths he felt like there maybe was too much excitement at times. 

”Tomorrow’s no different than any other mission you’ve been to,” Reyes said slowly. He was lying next to the Pathfinder, their shoulders touching and fingers almost entwined. ”There’s a lot at stake, sure, but think of it as just another mission. The Archon’s a tough son of a bitch, but I’ve seen you in the field, Q.”

”When the Charlatan of Kadara believes in me with such passion, there’s no other outcome than winning, right?” Quintin asked. He turned his head with a tiny smile playing over his lips, finding Reyes already looking at him with those deep, intense eyes of his. ”Is it an order I hear? For me to come back alive?”

Reyes where on top of him in seconds. It wasn’t as intense as earlier that night, memories still being fresh on both of their minds. The smuggler just sat there, his thighs spread over the Pathfinder’s body, holding him in place.

Not like Quintin would try to fight his way from there, this was just where he wanted to be. 

”An order you say, hm?” Reyes pulled at the zipper to Quintin’s hoodie, slowly like he wanted to drag it out for as long as possible. ”I could phrase it better than that: if you don’t come back alive tomorrow, I’m personally gonna get on that ship and kill you myself. You know I will, so don’t take my words lightly.”

Quintin snorted. He placed a hand on Reyes’ thigh, holding onto it softly. ”I know a threat when I hear one, Vidal. I wouldn’t dare crossing the Charlatan’s path with bad intentions.”

There was a gentle hand cupping itself around Quintin’s cheek, angling the young Pathfinder’s head so their eyes met more directly. The deepest of blues staring into the brightest of hazels. Reyes leaned forward, hovering just slightly above Quintin’s lips with his own.

”You’re coming back,” it was stern, showing what Reyes truly felt inside. Quintin could sense the worry flashing in those eyes, he still didn’t like it on Reyes. ”You’re promising me that right now, okay? _You’re coming back alive.”_

A short silence fell between them as Quintin furrowed his eyebrows together even further. It was a lot to ask for, since Quintin couldn’t promise to fulfil such a thing. Anything could happen, really. Still, he knew that Reyes needed to hear it almost as much as the Pathfinder himself did.

”I promise,” Quintin whispered before pulling Reyes’ head down enough to smash their lips together. Almost desperately, but there was a fine line of something honest and real that caused Quintin’s head to spin.

To be able to share a kiss like this again, Quintin would journey down to hell and back again in a heartbeat.

 

*~*

 

”You’ll have to jump out, Ryder, I can’t find a good landing spot.”

Quintin let his pistol slide into it’s holster. ”I’ve been falling out of so many things recently so this will be a piece of cake, take us in as close as possible and we’ll handle the rest, Kallo.” The nerves from before hadn't completely eased off just yet, but most of them had turned into some weird sort of excitement. They were actually going to do this, behind the back of Director Tann and the Initiative. To so openly break the rules were a real kick, it was a good thing that Sarah wasn't here with them. She would've approved of it almost a little too much.

”It’ll be a pleasure to remove all of this armour from you when this is finished,” Reyes commented, pulling at the straps on Quintin’s back and making sure that everything was in place. He didn’t seem to care about that the entire ship could hear what he was saying, Peebee sending him an amused look as she put some extra clips in her pockets. ”At least I know you’ll be bulletproof with all of these layers, Ryder.”

A short laugh escaped the Pathfinder’s lips. ”I have to be prepared for the worst now, don’t I?” 

Reyes turned him around, placing a hand on Quintin’s cheek and looking as smug as ever. The eyes told a different story, one that existed solely for Quintin. ”Just… come back alive, Q.”

Quintin leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Reyes’ lips, pulling himself back again before it could deepen. He couldn’t let himself to be distracted in a moment like this. ”See you on the other side, Reyes.”

”Be ready, Ryder, we’re about to go in for the drop.”

 

Quintin turned to throw one last look at Reyes. The smuggler nodded at him, mouthing the words ”come back alive” at him with the saddest of smiles curling his lips.

The pathfinder held up his hand and placed it over his heart before he jumped out in the unknown, Peebee and Jaal following right behind. 

  After all, they had a galaxy to save.


End file.
